Best way you promote your site?

[mrmerck]

Lets limit it to one suggestion..What is the BEST suggestion you have for promoting your e-commerce site?

Thanks!

[The Old Sarge]

Get 2 one-minute video ads for your site and run them 5 times each during the Super Bowl game.

Oh ... you mean on a limited budget.

A combination of SEO and print ads. (Print ads = anything printed that gets in the hands of potential customers.)

[roban]

Get 2 one-minute video ads for your site and run them 5 times each during the Super Bowl game.

If you are promoting through search engines, for Google you'd want plenty of relevant back links and for Yahoo you'd want to optimize for key words and content. Since successful e-commerce sites have things in common such as:

• a product people want
• decent pricing
• customer loyalty
• trust

If you have these elements and a way of getting visitors to your site, you should be successful.

[GroovyGal]

I personally use Stumble Upon, the referral traffic is priceless. It helps to be a contributing member and to stumble regularly. Social networking (in general) is a good way to promote ones site.

For search engine traffic, writing relevant and constant content.

[veikoh]

Depends what product you are selling, what the competition is and what gives you the best ROI.
Choose between three ways:
1. SEO, link building using article marketing, social networking, etc. Time consuming process but can be free (do it yourself) or hire a specialist.
2. PPC - by finding right key phrases with low cost can be very effective. Anyway allows you to manage your profitability.
3. Affiliate Programs - when affordable, pay decent commission and let your affiliates to do the marketing for you.

[cringwall]

Get your product catalog on Google Base - it's free. Tip-match your product titles to popular keyphrase searches - make sure your product titles 'fit' the alloted space when you see the google product search that often appears at the top of an organic search page.

[bubu_lina]

Proper key words have worked for me so far (key phrases, to be exact).
But i would suggest trying to add your site to some price-comparison portals such as shopmania.com or pricegrabber.com - it's a way to make sure you get good quality traffic (people really interested in the products you offer)

[The Old Sarge]

bubu lina,

In your experience, does linking to price comparison sites bring converting customers? How does your own pricing compare?

I've always figured, perhaps erroneously, that if I didn't have very close to the lowest price, I would simply cut my own throat by linking to those sites. You know ... why would a shopper buy from me if they found it cheaper somewhere else.

[itHighway]

Add articles to your web site. For exmaple, if you are selling Clothes, search articlesrelated to Clothing, designs, fashion etc and copy those articles to your web site.
Click here to get an idea of what we are talking about.

[bubu_lina]

@ Old Sarge: obviously, having the lowest prices would be a natural lure for all customers, but since most of us can't afford that ( i know for sure i can't..), some price comparison sites offer the possibility to pay for a higher rank in their list.
I know it's not quite fair to the consumer (and the consumer also knows it, as you may see in this article http://uk.reuters.com/article/intern...23805820071012 ) but ... all's fair in love and war

[Yehudab]

Make sure to long tail your products while using PPC in Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search and Microsoft adCenter. Include all product models throughout your campaigns for cheaper keywords.

[balsamsue]

You mention.. back links....
Being new to this.. would you explain back links to me?
Thanks,
Sue
www.vtbalsam.com

[The Old Sarge]

Back links are simply links to your site FROM other sites.

There are two-way links, where you have a link to them and they have a link to you.

There are three-way links where sita A links to site B, site B links to site C and C links to A.

One-way links, A links to B and B does not link back.

[balsamsue]

Yes, I got it.
I'm finding that sites I'd like to have my link added to, want a reciprocal link back. As much as I hate the thought, looks like I really need a links page added to my site..
Thanks,
Sue
www.vtbalsam.com

[JEccles]

Why limit it to one suggestion? There is no one great way. You really need to do a multitude of things. Here is a great article I got from SitePronews - lots of juicy suggestions.